In the past two years, we have seen the growth and implementation of hybrid work models and flexible work arrangements, pushing companies worldwide to reimagine how and where work gets done. The trend of dispersed and distributed workforces is here to stay, but so are the offices. Organisations are rethinking the role of an office and redesigning spaces to foster collaboration. Hybrid work has accelerated the need for efficient workspace management tools to create a seamless digital workplace experience.
For businesses to remain competitive and thrive in an evolving global work environment, it is essential to envision the transformation of the future workforce and workplace.
Understanding the Shift Towards Unstructured Collaboration
Adopting a hybrid or agile workforce model means adapting to changes in how we collaborate and interact, and challenges many of our deep-seated perceptions about success in the workplace.
Unstructured interaction drives collaboration and innovation beyond the confines of a predetermined workspace. It offers flexibility, promotes creativity amongst individuals and teams, often allows the best ideas to flow, and enables the most productive results.
However, there is a fine line between creative chaos and anarchy. As your workforce becomes more dispersed and their interactions more unstructured, it can be all too easy to lose sight of the collective goal. A combination of structured and unstructured collaboration techniques can be deployed, based on the nature of work and desired business outcomes, to maximise employee engagement, but first, it’s important to:
- Empower an autonomous, collaborative workforce by ensuring that everyone shares the same vision of what collaboration is and what it seeks to achieve.
- Recognise that your employees are people first by creating an inclusive culture for better relationships and better human connection, built on the foundation of empathy.
At Ricoh, we can attest to the power of unstructured collaboration. Not only has it given birth to far more ideas than ever before, but it has also given our people a renewed sense of purpose and collective control of Ricoh’s evolution. However, this can only work if we take the time to earn each other’s trust and respect and drive the desire to build something greater than ourselves.
How Digital Innovations Drive Progress and Productivity in the Workplace
Your office should be designed to be as agile as your evolving workforce. Enhancing the workspace with digital workplace tools and cloud-based solutions, is just the first step. The real value of these technologies is demonstrated when you integrate them into the office space through smart devices.
Larger companies with more office space may already be familiar with cloud-based workflow tools. But they may not have yet explored what workplace management solutions have to offer. When planning your future workplace, it is key to:
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Make the Most Out of Technology Investments
The office of the future should be effortless—information should be instantly accessible, document workflows automated wherever employees are, and contactless printing on cloud-enabled multifunction printers can be enabled with palm and fingerprint biometric tools. This ensures your information is secure and makes the conversion of hardcopy to digital more efficient than ever. -
Develop Smart, Intuitive, and Safe Physical Spaces
Workplace management solutions are an untapped resource in the design of the workspace. Tools like desk and meeting room booking, digital visitor management systems, and digital signage software not only provide interactive, dynamic ways of optimising processes and spaces, but can also prove immensely beneficial for your employees’ safe return to work. -
Create Environments That Spur Collaboration
When integrated into the office space, collaborative tools can improve teamwork and creativity. Digitally enhance your spaces to drive seamless collaboration and enable great ideas to flow easily between the workplace, home offices, and anywhere else employees choose to work.
Unlock unparalleled value for your business by nurturing unstructured collaboration and empowering your people with the tools they need to get their jobs done, no matter where they work. Solutions such as RICOH Spaces can maximise productivity while minimising wasted space, enabling you to drive greater collaboration and efficiency in your workforce by providing safe, connected, and seamless digital workplace experiences.
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